An effort that would prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from implementing its approved waiver for E15 ethanol blends in America’s fuel supply is being led by Reps. John Sullivan (R-OK) and Gary Peters (D-MI). Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis says they intend to fight against an amendment to the FY 2012 Department of the Interior and EPA funding bills …
DOE Biomass Conference This Week
Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will keynote the Department of Energy 4th annual Biomass Conference on Tuesday. This year’s conference, Biomass 2011, will focus on topics surrounding the use of biomass as a replacement for petroleum to supply the energy, products, and power markets. The Biomass 2011 theme will explore the new horizons of bioenergy technologies …
Former Iowa First Lady Runs for Congress on Energy Issues
Wind energy and biofuels are part of the campaign for Congress launched this week by former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, from supporting biofuels and wind power, to bringing broadband internet to our rural communities,” Vilsack says in her campaign YouTube video. Her website, ChristieVilsackForIowa.com, features a rural wind farm in the …
Scouting for Biofuels Crops in Indian Creek Watershed
The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed. During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by the Conservation Technology Information Center, Argonne agronomist Cristina Negri said they are looking at alternative crops that can efficiently use nitrogen to grow on marginal land in …
Senate Compromise Reached on Ethanol Tax Credit
A deal has been reached in the Senate that would eliminate the ethanol blenders tax credit but still provide incentives for infrastructure development. U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced the agreement “that allows for a transition to a more sustainable model of incentives for domestic renewable fuel production while reducing the nation’s deficit by $1.3 billion.” …
Industry Questions Ethanol Hearing Witness List
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today on “examining the science” of 15% ethanol in fuel, but the corn ethanol industry is questioning the list of witnesses, which appears to be somewhat lopsided. “The Environmental Protection Agency has been thorough in its work on the E15 waiver request and …
Loan Guarentee Offered for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
The government is paving the way for the nation’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Iowa. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement today of a $105 million loan guarantee to support the development of Project LIBERTY, sponsored by POET and located in Emmetsburg, Iowa. “This project will help decrease our dependence on oil, …
EPA Finalizes 15% Ethanol Pump Label
Another step toward getting 15% ethanol blended fuel on the road was taken today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA has released the final official government label for fuel pumps to dispense blends containing up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. “The new orange and black label must appear on fuel pumps that dispense E15,” according to …
EPA Proposes 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards
Cellulosic ethanol targets were reduced while biodiesel was increased under the latest standards proposed by the federal government for the Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the 2012 percentage standards for four fuel categories under the RFS2 based on the annual renewable fuel volume targets. EPA once again lowered the target for cellulosic …
Electric and Ethanol Power Win EcoCAR Competition
Cars designed to run on electricity and 85 percent ethanol took top honors in a competition to engineer a more fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly vehicle. A team from Virginia Tech University designed an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using 85 percent ethanol (E85) to win first place in the three-year EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge competition sponsored by the Department of Energy …